Clearscore

Futuristic

Artemisia wrote: »

Thank you Consumerist,
I agree whole heartedly that scoring is largely irrelevant and would urge people to avoid ClearScore using CheckMyFile instead, purely to ensure that the data held on them is correct, or amended as proves necessary. As I go to cancel my CheckMyFile subscription today, having enjoyed a months free trial which put my own mind at rest, I noted the following online: ClearScore have finally increased my score to 471/700, yet this is significantly below that of my son living with me, who hasn't any credit worthy data of note; meanwhile all 4 credit agencies under CheckMyFile record me at 917/1000, deemed exceptionally good! The important thing is that I have checked my data and been reassured it is correct, whilst reading MSE, Noddle and ClearScore prompted me to take out a credit card last November simply to improve my credit rating in good time for a June remortgage - which is now going through as planned. I would hate to think of anyone else wasting their time with ClearScore, being misled, and with proper support lacking, which is why I have reported my experience to The Financial Ombudsman, making it clear that my case is far from unique. I await their response with interest.

What a joke, paying for credit score is terrible because it's useless. I hate to think you're probably some !!!!!! from CheckMyFile losing a lot of money thanks to Noddle & Clearscore


A) The score is meaningless
ClearScore's score is from Equifax (I think)
C) You don't have the exact same history as your "son", each variable factor is counted then scored
D) People should stick to the free options:
- ClearScore (Equifax)
- Noddle (CallCredit)
- If required pay for one time report for Experian if you need that (£2?), probably only need this when applying for a mortgage.

Artemisia

No Futuristic, I am not some !!!!!!, working for CheckMyFile and clearly you did not read my posts properly. The idea is to sign up to CheckMyFile's free one month trial, then cancel the subscription before the month is finished! Addressing your remaining points:
A - I already stated that the points are largely meaningless but my concern is that many people will not realise this and be encouraged by the shopfront that is ClearScore into buying their recommended financial products in an effort to enhance their score. Also people might just find it stressful to discover their score is low, thinking that maybe something is wrong with their data when in actual fact there is not. Especially so when it is known that mistakes do happen and your data can carry very outdated and wrong information adversely affecting your score. So the score is a general guide if you will to at the very least check that your data is correct and where mistakes are evident then take action to rectify these promptly. Better that than be mysteriously turned down for that mortgage you really had counted on ...
B Yes Clearscore base their score on Equifax's data. Therefore my question as to why the two should differ so dramatically was a very valid one.
C Of course I don't have the same data as my son about which I had written more in an earlier post. But when I am twice his age and he has no credit card, never applied for any loan or mortgage, shares my postcode yet is not a homeowner etc. it does beg the question as to why he can start out with a score much higher than mine, and which has stayed constant never fluctuating. In short other than never going overdrawn he has not been able to demonstrate his credit worthiness. Contrast that against my own impeccable financial history, with all positives and no negatives whatsoever, and you really do have to question what use ClearScore is to the general public, free or not!
D I am signed up to Noddle/CallCredit and it was their high consistent scoring which alerted me to the fact that using ClearScore was utter rubbish. My great concern was that Equifax were conceivably holding incorrect data on me and that a lender might be looking at their data and scoring in preference to CallCredit say. A very real possibility was that a fraud had been committed using my data, and I didn't know about it. It happens, as I should know having had my TalkTalk account hacked ...
Finally, I didn't even have to pay out £2 as you suggest because I intelligently used CheckMyFile's free one month trial which gave me everything I wanted to know on all 4 credit rating agencies.
So my recommendation to readers is still absolutely to avoid ClearScore like the plague and put their minds to rest by using CheckMyFile instead since it covers 4 agencies.
As for jokes (to use your own terminology), I think I would have to strongly wonder if in fact you work for ClearScore ... To date they have not even tried to properly explain their awful credit scoring - perhaps because they think I am a !!!!!!? Excuse me while I now respond to the Financial Ombudsman's request to phone them with full details about ClearScore...

Hazzinho

Check my file is useless, I would not recommend it at all, it doesn't even have all Experian data. As has been suggested use Noddle (Callcredit), Clearscore (Equifax) and get the £2 Experian report. Focus on the data, not the score, if it's all correct and paid on time then there is no issue.

Consumerist

Artemisia wrote: »

. . . To date they have not even tried to properly explain their awful credit scoring - perhaps because they think I am a !!!!!!? Excuse me while I now respond to the Financial Ombudsman's request to phone them with full details about ClearScore...

I think you are attaching far too much importance to your "score". It is, after all, just an opinion.

What is far more important is that the data contained in your report is an accurate reflection of the data held by the real CRAs - to which prospective lenders will refer when assessing you for credit.

Artemisia

Regarding recent posts I have of course already made it abundantly clear by now that the all important factor is of course not the scoring, but to first make sure you do check that all of your data is correct, and secondly to actively correct any errors found. CheckMyFile covers data from Call Credit, Equifax, Experian and Crediva. All for free on a one months trial - and if you are happy with the data etc. held there across all 4 agencies, then you need go no further with Noddle or Experian say, unless of course you wish to. I think my point has been missed entirely which was that a low score CAN be an indicative guide to a data error existing if not some downright fraud in your name. A cause for concern surely and not to be ignored, which in my case came about because of the huge disparity in scoring between ClearScore and Equifax (earlier drawn to my attention by Noddle/CallCredit reports since last year), in spite of them sharing exactly the same data! I stand by everything I have said about ClearScore, including their lack of proper support and total lack of a true explanation to date. Using CheckMyFile put my mind at rest, knowing that whichever of those 4 named credit agencies my lender went to, my credentials were correct, not flawed. How can you know in advance without checking which of those agencies your lender will refer to? And what if 2 agencies hold correct data on you but the other two do not, maybe with errors that could make all the difference as to whether you get that all important loan or mortgage. By all means use Noddle, but steer clear of ClearScore, and for the reasons I have spelt out if you are thinking of taking out a loan or remortgaging then it is a no brainer to also use CheckMyFile... After that and for the rest of the year, if you know your credit data does check out OK, there really is no need to worry about it further with monthly reports etc. - just live your life!

Hazzinho

CMF don't have full Experian data and there are 3 CRA's not 4. Your advice is awful, sorry. All your posts are recommending CMF which makes me suspicious.

Killykev

Hi, I have a ccj on your site but it has now been set aside and it's been removed from the trust registry. Do you get your information from them? If so why didn't it get removed from my file when the new report came through? Thanks.

Billy_NM

Just signed up for this free credit file checking service. I'm very impressed based on initial experience.

The sign up process was easy and I was impressed with the validation/security process. Was asked a series of multiple choice questions based on information on my file, answer choices included 'none of the above' and one question was thrown in there as a test.

All the data looks sound.

Being permanently free is a real attraction to me, especially not having to sign up with any payment authority.

elig

Hi
I've filled in all the details and answered all the multiple-choice questions required by ClearScore, and they still required me to give the first 2 digits of my bank account sort code and last 6 digits of my account number.
Now they say there is still "some final identity checks", and I must email a scanned copy of my UK Driving License or the photo page of my passport.
Is this normal/required/secure??

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/GameZone/Desktop/Capture%20clearscore.PNG[/IMG]

Consumerist

elig wrote: »

Hi
I've filled in all the details and answered all the multiple-choice questions required by ClearScore, and they still required me to give the first 2 digits of my bank account sort code and last 6 digits of my account number.
Now they say there is still "some final identity checks", and I must email a scanned copy of my UK Driving License or the photo page of my passport.
Is this normal/required/secure??

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/GameZone/Desktop/Capture%20clearscore.PNG[/IMG]

Sign up with Noddle - it's not such a pain as Clearscore who seem to be making life very difficult for some. It's not really worth the hassle.

Perhaps your credit file is a bit thin and so they can't find much to go on.